Spurs 104, Jazz 97 (OT): Let them eat cake

Having grumbled before tipoff that the prospect of winning his 900th game meant “nothing” to him, it wasn’t surprising to hear what Gregg Popovich did with the celebratory cake his players presented. He smashed it in Stephen Jackson’s face. Such tomfoolery was the perfect metaphor for Friday’s victory: Sweet, yet messy. The Spurs (53-16) weren’t complaining after Tony Parker hit the ground running in his return from a badly sprained left ankle.

Player of the game

Parker (22 points, five assists) said after the game he wasn’t expecting to play more than 25 minutes. He ended up at 37. Lacking his customary burst, he had a pair of layup attempts blocked at the end of the first quarter. He rallied from there, scoring or assisting on 12 of San Antonio’s 14 points in OT. “Up until the time he got hurt,” Popovich said, “there wasn’t a point guard in the league playing better than Tony Parker. And he picked up right where he left off.”

The turning point

Like the veteran team they are, the Spurs didn’t fret after letting a three-point lead slip through their fingers on the final possession of regulation. Indeed, they engineered their best stretch outside a 16-4 run to start the game. Fittingly, it was Manu Ginobili, the culprit on Marvin Williams’ game-tying 3-pointer, whose 3 snapped a tie at 95-all and put the Spurs ahead for good with a key 3. The Spurs shot 5 for 8 in OT while holding the Jazz to just 2 for 8.

Continuation

* Tim Duncan extended the best stretch of his 16th season with his fourth straight double-double — 19 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots. He’s averaging 25.5 points, 15 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.0 blocks in that span. He also moved past long-time rival Shaquille O’Neal for 13th on the NBA career rebound list, a feat that impressed even the stoic Kawhi Leonard. “Just his greatness,” he said when asked to comment on the achievement.

* Speaking of Leonard, the second-year small forward added yet another efficient/productive line with 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals. He hit a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner to put the Spurs up 88-85 late in regulation and added an isolation jump shot to help the Spurs pull away in OT. “He’s a stud,” Popovich said. “He’s not afraid to shoot the ball. We went to him a couple of times down the stretch…and he came through.”

* Ginobili was tangibly upset after struggling through arguably his worst game of the season (five points, five turnovers, 2-for-9 shooting). As if missing his first seven shots wasn’t bad enough, his inexplicable decision to hedge over on Al Jefferson just inside the 3-point arc nearly cost the Spurs the game. “I don’t know what I was thinking to completely black out,” he said. “A terrible mistake. I’m sorry I let my teammates down.”

* And now, the fun begins. The Spurs begin a brutal stretch of five straight games against teams currently slated to make the playoffs: at Houston (Sunday), Denver (Wednesday), L.A. Clippers (Friday), Miami (March 31) and at Memphis (April 1). Combined win percentage: 67.8. Average victory total: 46.6.